Cisco backs US GDPR calls

Cisco has joined Apple, Microsoft and other tech giants in calling for a US version of the EU's General Data Protection (GDPR) regulation as online privacy remains a huge issue worldwide.

The company told the Financial Times that it wants US politicians to devise and implement their own version of the European regulation in the coming months despite criticism that the legislation is too harsh on businesses and overly broad.

Cisco's chief legal officer, Mark Chandler explained to the FT that GDPR has been successful in Europe and now is the time for the US to adopt a similar policy, saying:

“We believe that the GDPR has worked well, and that with a few differences, that is what should be brought in in the US as well.”

US data protection

While some US tech giants are calling for the country to adopt a similar policy to GDPR, there would be some aspects such as the right of individuals to remove their information from search engines that Chandler hopes would be left out.

The large penalties for data breaches under GDPR is another problematic aspect of the regulation that will likely be left out when US politicians enact the country's first national data privacy law.

An industry lobbyist provided further insight on the current state of a US data privacy law to the FT, saying:

“The business-to-business companies are willing to see much tougher regulation than the consumer-facing ones. Some internet companies want more data collection, others want less. And Apple is trying not to be placed alongside the rest of the industry at all.”

The desire for a US version of GDPR is certainly there and hopefully politicians are taking Cisco, Apple and Microsoft's vote of confidence in such a regulation seriously.